Grimm Flowers
by Niar-Muse
Summary: Dahlia is an heiress trying to connect with her future clients, Heather is a mechanic trying to get through training, Lightning is trying to recall her past and Anore is just trying to survive. Together they make team DHLA.
1. Chapter 1

"So, you're leaving for Shade Academy?"

Dahlia turned and found Daniel standing at her door, his arms crossed over his chest. She didn't need him to speak to know he was happy with her decision.

"Yes. I've decided."

Dahlia turned back to packing the suitcase on her bed, she wouldn't need much. Maybe a few changes of clothes, some books. She eyed the case of dust on her bed, would it be enough?

"Atlas has a good academy here." Daniel stated, watching Dahlia look over her things, "You could go there."

"I've already applied for Shade and have already been accepted into it, what else is there, Daniel?" Dahlia sighed.

"Nothing. I just thought my younger sister would be a freshman at my school."

Dahlia laughed.

"Don't tell me you wanted to show me off to your friends."

"Well I wanted them to be jealous, my sister is the champion of the Atlas Tournament." Daniel joked, a smirk on his face as Dahlia rolled her eyes.

"That was only because they miss stepped!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Its true!"

"Okay okay, whatever you say little sis." Daniel joked.

"Daniel…. was there a purpose to your visit?"

Daniel fell silent and looked away.

"I'm going to miss you."

Dahlia's eyes cast down.

"I'll be safe, I promise."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Daniel protested, "Dahlia, Vacuo is different than Atlas."

Dahlia walked towards her half-brother and smiled.

"Remember, we've had to face assassins before."

"Yeah but not without our body guards." Daniel sighed.

"You said so yourself, I'm the champion of the Atlas Tournament." Dahlia smirked, "I think I can handle it."

"I hope so." Daniel sighed, "Anyways, I came to give you this."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a scroll, it was different than what Dahlia had. She looked at it curiously before taking it from him.

"Its the latest model.. well not really. One of my teammates made custom ones for us. It can work further from the CCT, but don't go too far." Daniel explained, leaning into the doorframe, "And don't go waving it around either, it's one of a kind."

Dahlia turned it over in her hand, she could see that it was several models spliced together and then painted over. She slid it into the pouch on her belt, drawing out her old scroll, she would have to transfer the data over later.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it, I'll call you every Sunday, okay?"

"Okay." Dahlia nodded, picking up her suitcase and beginning to leave her bedroom.

"Don't forget to eat, it'll take a while to get used to the school food."

"I will."

"Get enough sleep at night, don't stay up too late with homework."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"And don't worry if you aren't leader of your team, you're still important."

"Daniel."

"Stay close to your partner during missions. Don't wander off."

"Daniel."

"Make sure you conserve your aura, I know you need a lot for Magis."

"Daniel." Dahlia said a little louder, they were in the entrance hall now, the large wooden doors of Flamel manor was open before her and she could see the family car waiting for her, "You worry too much."

"I know I know." Daniel breathed, pushing back a lock of black hair.

"Mistress Flamel, your ship will be leaving within the hour." A servant stated from the doors. Dahlia looked at Daniel and sighed.

"I'll call, don't forget." Dahlia promised, stepping forwards to embrace her half-brother.

He held her tightly.

"I'll miss you. Stay safe, Dahlia."

"Promise."

"Good luck."

"You too."

"Mistress Flamel."

Dahlia pulled away, reached down and grabbed her suitcase before sauntering out of the manor and sliding into the back of the car. Another servant closed the car door behind her and soon Dahlia felt the car begin to pull away.

She turned and gazed out the window, watching as Daniel waved goodbye to her. As the car drove further away, Dahlia watched Flamel Manor grow smaller and smaller.

"Goodbye." She whispered, turning and settling in, it wouldn't be long until she was on an airship bound for Vacuo.

* * *

 **Oh boy.  
So I was going through some of my old writing and decided to write out a team I've had in my folders for months! (Almost a year) But as I was making adjustments to them to fit with cannon I realized that a lot (almost all of them) of OC-team centered fan fics take place at Beacon Academy. While I don't find anything wrong with that, I wanted to challenge myself and write for an academy we haven't seen yet, and decided upon Shade Academy.**  
 **A few notes before we actually delve into the story of team DHLA.**  
 **The story takes place a few years before the events of RWBY, seven years, give or take.**  
 **The story also goes through four arcs, or four years. Obviously, we'll be following the whole education of team DHLA as well as their character development and other things. I think this will be one of my longest fics as each arc contains at least eleven chapters, so roughly forty-four chapters in total. Oh boy. Hopefully since I have this all planned out I can post at least two chapters a week, once on monday, and another on thursday.**  
 **So, since this will be a very, very, very very very, long project, any and all reviews are extremely helpful and appreciated. Constructive criticism is needed as always.**  
 **Well then, that's it for an authors note. I'll see you guys next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

The howling winds whipped hot sand into Anore as he trekked through the desert, his hand fighting to keep the orange scarf over his nose as his eyes strained behind amber goggles to see through the thick sand. He heard a sharp wailing above and glanced up just as an airship passed overhead towards the dark tower ahead.

Anore turned his eyes back to the path and adjusted his pack, it wasn't far till he would reach Shade. His boots dug into the sand and he stepped forwards, the sandstorm breaking at that moment.

" _Good_." He thought, " _Saves me time_."

He could see Shade Tower fully now, airships circled it, waiting to land as more and more potential hunters departed from them. Anore let the scarf fall from his nose and ran his hand through his short, messy, ginger hair, sand fell down his shoulders as he took off his goggles. He stopped for a moment, drawing one of the collapsable curved daggers that were in the small of his back, he turned the dial on the pommel and lifted the dagger, pommel first, to his lips. The water inside the dagger hilt was warm and tasted slightly metallic, but it was still water. Anore took a sip before turning the dial on the pommel and sealing the water back in.

His feet left the sand as he found himself entering onto Shade campus. The paths were made of limestone, probably from a local quarry. As Anore walked across campus he took in the scenery. There were natural arches and spires and the occasional water fountain. Around the water fountains and below the arches were lush green flowerbeds. Anore couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much green and stopped to examine a flower bed more carefully.

"Asclepias tuberose." A voice said from behind him, he jumped in surprise, turning around to face the speaker.

It was an older woman, she wore a white sleeveless blouse that showed off her strong arms and a pair of white high waisted dress pants that fell just below her knees, a pair of silver plated boots covered her feet. Anore's eyes flicked up to her face an examined it. The woman had black curls pulled into a tight bun, a few loose strands having fallen out already. Her eyes were two colors, one eye orange; the other, sky blue. They unsettled Anore. She had harsh scars across her face, but a kind smile on her lips.

"Or commonly known as Butterfly Weed." She smiled.

"W-what?"

"The flowers you were admiring. They've grown rather well this year, I was beginning to get concerned." The woman continued, crouching down to examine the flower bed closer. Anore noticed the Shade Academy crest on the back of her shirt in black.

"Nature is a curious thing, it can flourish in the harshest of climates, but can wither and die easily." The woman said, standing back up and turning to look at Anore, "I hope you find this will apply to your time spent at Shade Academy."

She turned and vanished, leaving Anore alone and confused. He shook his head, glancing back at the flowerbed before he resumed walking across campus, shaking off the encounter.

* * *

As he walked, Anore began to note more and more students arriving. Some were returning students, he could tell by how they grouped together with their teammates and walked off towards the dorms. Others were new, like him. Those people were easy to pick out.

Eventually, Anore reached a sort of amphitheater where students had already begun to gather. He took a seat near the top of the amphitheater and looked around, the amphitheater was surrounded by rough desert marble columns topped with a desert marble ring that held a glass dome aloft. Bolts of sheer black fabric were draped across the amphitheater. The more Anore watched the fabric shimmer in the light, the more uneasy he felt. It was almost as if the fabric was made of pure shadows.

"Please, have a seat. Professor Drasil will be with you in a moment." A voice called from the bottom of the amphitheater, Anore snapped out of his trance and looked down. A man with dark skin and long brown hair in a pony tail stood in the center of the amphitheater stage. He wore a rather simple outfit consisting of black loafers, black dress pants, a loose fitting white button up and a dark blue silk vest. Anore could see that the tips of his hair was dyed a matching blue.

Anore noticed the woman from earlier begin to descend the amphitheater steps and students fell silent in her wake.

She nodded at the man who had spoken and folded her hands behind her back.

"Hello and welcome to Shade Academy." She spoke with ease, her voice carrying across with little to no difference, almost as if she was next to Anore, "My name is Professor Drasil, I will be your head master for the next four years."

Anore's eyes widened, he had met the head master and he hadn't realized it. He knew he hadn't been able to check the news lately, but still, he would have at least seen a picture of Professor Drasil somewhere.

"I would like to begin the year with a few words. I understand that many of you have trained hard, that many of you have traveled far, that many of you hope to grow into hunters as you proceed through the years." Professor Drasil spoke, "When I stepped into this amphitheater I saw seeds waiting to be planted, I saw clay waiting to be molded into the very definition of a hunter. When I stepped into this amphitheater I knew that a new chapter had begun. I only hope that you all make it to the next chapter. Professor Astrola, if you would."

The other professor next to Drasil nodded and stepped forwards as she began to walk away, her last words hanging eerily in the air.

"Tonight you will sleep in the guest house." Professor Astrola instructed, "Prepare yourselves, for tomorrow you will begin initiation."

Anore stood as others began to filter out of the amphitheater and head towards a building similar to the dorms. He spied Professor Drasil off in the distance, walking towards a large building, perhaps that was the main part of the school.

* * *

The guest house was a straight shot across from the amphitheater and was already beginning to fill with students when Anore entered it. Older students were directing the new students into rooms that were open, Anore found himself in a room with another boy a little older than him. They didn't talk much outside of exchanging their names.

A little after he had settled in another student dropped by, informed them that in an hour they would be given a full tour of the school.

Anore dropped his pack onto his bed and began to dig through it, pulling out an extra change of clothes he quickly slipped out of his combat clothes and into the spare clothes, sighing in content at the feeling of clean clothes against his skin. He deposited his daggers onto the night stand next to his bunk bed and laid down, a little nap before the campus tour couldn't hurt.

* * *

 **And chapter two is up!**  
 **A little note about next weeks chapters, they may or may not be delayed until the week after next week due to me being in the pit orchestra of my school's musical and having tech/hell week that will keep me at school until 8:30. I'm not sure how next week will play out to be honest, I'll try to post the chapters earlier on it the day so that you'll at least have an update at a reasonable time. Thank you for your understanding, after this next week is over, the normal update schedule should resume.**  
 **So like always, reviews are gladly appreciated and constructive criticism is especially appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

Dahlia groaned in protest as a wakeup call sounded over the PA system in the guest house. She pushed herself off the mattress and sighed, glancing around her room she found her other three roommates beginning to stir. She recognized one of them from a party she had attended only the month before, it appeared the other girl hadn't recognized her yet, or hadn't cared to point it out.

Dahlia gathered her clothes and began to change into them. When she was dressed she glanced in the mirror, Dahlia's combat clothes consisted of a pair of brown capris that tightened just below her knees, a sheer black sleeveless blouse with a black over bust corset. Almost completing the outfit were a pair of black victorian style boots that had a low heel on them. Dahlia turned slightly, making sure the laces of her corset weren't going to come loose in combat. She looked over the rest of herself, she had a pretty face with sharp features and almond shaped eyes framed by dark eyelashes. Her eyes were a burning molten gold, a telltale sign of who she was.

She shook her head, gathered her night clothes and left the room, quickly making her way out of the guest house and towards the main school. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she entered the main body of the school, the interior of the school was made of desert marble in varying shades, banners of black with the school crest in white hung from the high ceilings and walls as Dahlia walked towards the cafeteria.

Unlike Beacon, which Dahlia had toured before deciding her school, Shade academy hardly had any open aired spaces due to the presence of a nearby desert and the generally hot days. The school used dust powered lights to cut down on heat, Dahlia felt that it was almost unnecessary due to the constant use of glass domes and ceilings throughout the school.

The cafeteria was packed with students, some were waiting in line to get food from a buffet set up at one end of the room while others sat at long tables, either chatting with friends or eating. Dahlia quickly got in line and got her food, she found a place to sit and was about to eat when another girl approached her.

"Is this spot taken?" She motioned for the open seat across from Dahlia.

"Be my guest." Dahlia shrugged, turning back to her food.

The girl sat down and watched her for a moment.

"You're Dahlia Flamel, right? The heiress to the Flamel Dust Company?"

"Yes." she said hesitantly, examining the girl. She didn't appear to be another heir to a company, Dahlia didn't recognize her face. The girl had thick midnight blue hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail and warm red eyes.

"I'm Heather, I was wondering when you would have the 'Impact Burn Dust' mixture back in production, see I find that it really makes Sparrow Hawk pack a bigger punch and I can't exactly mix Schnee Dusts together."

Dahlia blinked as the girl went on about dust and what she assumed was her weapon.

"And I've tested out the 'Impact Crater Dust' mixture you put our last month, it makes Sparrow Hawk a lot faster, but that's about it since I don't have a speed semblance-"

"I'll put in a word with my father, see what I can do." Dahlia said, a soft smile on her face.

"Oh really!? Thank you!" Heather exclaimed, "I really hope we end up on the same team! It'd be nice to have someone to talk about Dust with."

Dahlia nodded, it was true she knew more about Dust than the average hunter, but she didn't know nearly as much as Heather appeared to know.

They talked about Dust for a while, Heather giving some pointers to Dahlia about possible new mixtures and refinement options.

"We should probably get our weapons, they should be calling us for initiation soon." Heather said, standing up and moving to place her now empty tray on a growing pile of trays. Dahlia followed suit and the two of them began to walk towards the armory, as they walked Dahlia got a better look at Heather.

Heather was shorter than Dahlia and had a boyish build, but it was hard to tell as Heather wore a heavy royal blue captains long coat. Beneath her long coat, Dahlia could see that she wore white pants that were tucked into her boots and a bright yellow scarf was tucked into her jacket, a gear shaped broach holding it in place. She studied the broach carefully before adverting her gaze, she could see the doors to the armory now.

"I'll catch up with you later." Heather spoke up, waving to a group of friends before leaving Dahlia.

Dahlia shrugged, walking towards her locker and entering the pin number. The door swung open and Dahlia quickly examined her locker. It was rather bare, she hadn't been able to unpack most of her things yet so what items her locker held were completely related to her weapons. Packets of powder and crystal Dust were lined up neatly on a shelf just below a pair of gloves. Dahlia reached for the gloves and pulled them over her hands, the gloves were black and reached her biceps. She tested out the fit of the gloves by moving her arms and fingers, they felt as if they had melded to her skin, but were not heavy and were in fact, almost weightless. She turned her arms over, examining the fine embroidery on the back. Dahlia retrieved a belt that had been outfitted with many color coded pouches and filled it with the packets of Dust.

Taking a final cursory look over her locker, Dahlia took a deep breath and let it out before she closed her locker and left the armory. An announcement rang overhead just as she was beginning to walk towards the location she had to report to.

"Attention all first year students, the time for initiation has been changed. Report to the Shade Cliffs at sundown. Once again the time for initiation has been changed, report to the cliffs at sundown. Thank you."

Sundown?

Dahlia slowed to a halt. She had heard of initiations taking all day, but she had never heard of an initiation taking place at night. What exactly were they doing?

* * *

 ** _-Shade Cliffs, Sundown-_**

Professor Drasil stood at the edge of the cliff, over looking the vast sea of sand below, she could see the spires of sandstone and the ruins of once great civilizations dot the landscape below. The sun was beginning to set, casting a great shadow across her academy.

At her side stood a less than pleased Professor Astrola and behind her stood her newest students, ready to test their mettle against the sand sea.

"Are you ready to begin, Professor?" Professor Astrola asked, albeit impatient, it had seemed that several of the schools many students had chosen him as their beginning of the year prank. Professor Drasil turned and cleared her throat, starting at her students dead on.

"You have gathered here at this hour to prove that you are worthy of becoming students at Shade Academy." Drasil began, folding her arms behind her back, "Your mission will be to reach an oasis in the middle of the Ringtail Badlands, there you will find and retrieve an artifact. When you have done that, return to Shade Cliffs to await further instructions."

Drasil watched her students as they stood on their launch pads, looking down at the small bags that were being handed to them by older students.

"Now some of you may wonder why we do this at night, the truth of the matter is that it would be outright deadly to host this in the day as the only source of water for miles is the oasis. Our goal is to test you, not kill you."

"The older students have given you each a survival bag, there is water and food in there for you to drink and eat, but you will have to keep yourself warm and cool." Professor Astrola added on, Dahlia took her bag and added it onto her belt so that she wouldn't lose it. She shifted her weight around on the launch pad, feeling the stone shift slightly beneath her feet.

"There is another thing." Professor Drasil stated, "The first person you lock eyes with will be your partner for the next four years. Now, prepare yourself."

Dahlia heard a metallic whirr and then a student was launched into the air, another quickly followed and then another and another. Dahlia quickly crouched down just as the launch pad below her sent her flying rapidly across the badlands.

Initiation had just begun, and Dahlia was quickly searching for a way to survive her landing.

* * *

 **So this chapter has been hopefully posted on time. As of current I am in the middle of tech week and oh boy is there a lot of work to do and I still have homework to do. That being said, next chapter will be delayed until sunday, as of current it is only half finished and I will not have the time to complete it before its regular update of Thursday. However; after tech week is over I will be resuming the regular update schedule.  
As always, reviews are gladly appreciated and constructive criticism is welcome.  
Until next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

Dahlia tumbled through the air, the wind made her eyes water as she searched for a landing zone. She was rapidly approaching several spires of rock, she had to land now. Taking a deep breath, Dahlia evened out her breathing, focusing her aura into her gloves and feeling her arms beginning to chill. She closed her eyes and held her hands out before her just as she was about to hit a spire dead on.

Her ears filled with the sound of ice cracking and she opened her eyes. Her arms were incased in ice that was growing across the spire wall, Dahlia shifted her feet onto the stone, propping herself up she looked below her. Sand filled the space between the spires, Dahlia glanced down at her heels and sighed, looking over the badlands.

Above her she could see other students making their landings and in the distance she could see the ruins they were to reach, there was a faint gleam of a fire burning near it. In a moment the fire was gone, a trick of the light? Dahlia shook her head and yanked her right arm back, shards of ice fell to the ground as she focused her aura into her left arm. The ice began to melt and Dahlia found herself slowly sliding to the ground.

Her feet in the sand, Dahlia felt her gloves heat up and the ice melt off her arms. She looked at her gloves, the embroidery on the sides glowed a bright gold that was quickly dimming as her aura pulled out of her gloves. She looked at the sky, the sun had already dipped below the horizon and the stars were starting to bear their faces.

Dahlia began to walk towards the ruins, time was wasting.

* * *

The badlands were more of a desert than a wasteland and Dahlia regretted her choice of foot wear. Her feet constantly slipped in the ever shifting sand beneath her, it took almost all her concentration to stay on her toes as she made her way to the ruins. Dahlia crossed her arms and shivered, the desert nights were cold, she considered having a fire in her hands but shook the thought off. She would need her aura for later.

Dahlia glanced around her, finding it strange that she had yet to run into a single Grimm, or even another person for that matter. It had been some time since she had landed, she would have expected to have at least ran into another person at this point.

She heard a shift in the sand behind her and tensed up. Magis began to glow a soft gold, whatever was in the sand behind her was growing closer.

Dahlia whipped around, fire erupting from Magis. She stopped her hand inches before the boys face, the fire on her glove dying out quickly.

* * *

Anore blinked, he was sure he had announced himself before he approached this girl. He eyed her up and down quickly, but his attention was drawn to the gloved hand in his face. He had seen the embroidery on it glow, now that glow was fading, as was the glow in her eyes. A semblance?

"Oh, I am so sorry!" The girl said, letting her hand fall to the side, "I thought you were a Grimm."

Anore shrugged, he was used to it.

"Well, now that we're partners, I should introduce myself." The girl sighed, extending a hand, "My name is Dahlia."

"Anore." Anore took her hand and shook it awkwardly, "We should keep moving, the sun will be up in a few hours."

"How do you-"

"I know these deserts like the back of my hand." Anore shrugged, they began to walk towards the ruins together. It would be faster now that he had a partner to take down Grimm with.

Anore had run into a handful of Grimm when he had landed in a sand dune, he could still feel the nagging feeling of wanting to let loose on them. Anore took a deep breath and exhaled, he had to control himself.

"Are you from Vacuo?" Dahlia asked from behind him.

"Could say that." Anore said, they were about an hour's walk from the ruins now.

"I'm from Atlas, its a lot different there."

"Missing home already?"

"Dust no, I never got the opportunity to travel on my own there."

"Oh?" Anore asked, sliding down the side of a dune.

"My father." Dahlia grunted as she slid down next to him, "Insisted that I was to be accompanied by someone at all times."

"Must have been horrible." Anore rolled his eyes.

"It was, I understood he had his reasons. But honestly, I think I could handle a few assassination attempts." Dahlia shrugged, Anore almost stopped walking.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Dahlia."

Oh, he should have realized sooner who he was with. Anore had heard of the Flamel family, seen some of their products even transported their products once. That job was more trouble than it was worth.

Anore was pulled out of his flashback by an ear splitting shriek, he looked up just as a black shadow passed over him. He felt Dahlia's hand wrap around his wrist and pull him down to the sand.

"Was that a wyvern?"

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, and the short chapter, things have been hectic recently. At this moment I am performing in a musical as part of the pit as well as studying for exams, my schedule should clear up after next week and I should be completely free about halfway through May. Here's hoping.**  
 **Anyways, the regular update schedule should resume soon and like always, reviews are gladly accepted.**  
 **Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Was that a Wyvern?"

Dahlia and Anore stood slack jawed as they watched the winged shadow soar towards the tower ruins and begin to circle it.

"Dust…" Dahlia breathed, "If that thing sees us approach…"

"We're dead… unless."

"We find more fighters."

"Yeah… Let's do that." Anore forced his eyes away from the circling Wyvern and looked at Dahlia, "Come on."

Dahlia shook her head and turned from the tower, following Anore quickly.

* * *

 _Shade Cliffs_

Professor Astrola stood near the cliff's edge, a telescope held up to his eyes as he watched the Wyvern with concern etched across his face.

"Are you sure we shouldn't end initiation?" He asked Professor Drasil, who sat on a chair she had brought out. She flicked through her scroll lazily, checking in on the pairs that had been formed.

She had been pleased to have found Dahlia and Anore as a pair.

"Professor Drasil?"

"None of the students have encountered the Wyvern yet, let's not jump to conclusions." She sighed, standing up and walking towards Professor Astrola.

"All I'm saying is that that Wyvern could kill our students."

"Then you must have little faith in their abilities."

"You did say that this was a test of skill, not to kill them." Astrola responded

"I suppose I did say that. Fine, if that Wyvern is more trouble than its worth, call off the test." Professor Drasil waved her hand, turning around and beginning to walk back towards the school.

"Where are you going?"

"I've seen enough for tonight, I'll leave the rest to you, Professor."

* * *

 _Ringtail Badlands_

Dahlia struggled to keep up with Anore, he was walking through the sands too fast for her to keep up through walking. She would have ran, but her heels sunk deep into the sand and she feared a snapped ankle would be the least bit helpful.

Anore turned around and sighed impatiently as she caught up with him.

"Maybe you should have worn better foot wear." He huffed, crossing his arms.

"I realize that now." Dahlia bitterly responded, "Its too late, we need to keep moving."

"Sure."

Before they could move an ear splitting shriek tore through the air as an explosion soon followed. Their heads shot in the direction of the sounds and their eyes widened at what was happening.

The Wyvern had wrapped itself around the tower and there was a group of students engaging in combat with it.

"Their bullets wont be strong enough!" Anore exclaimed.

"The only thing that can penetrate its hide is a dust infused weapon." Dahlia said, looking down at her gloves, "We have to help them."

"Well I wasn't gonna let them die."

They began to ran, but Dahlia found herself lagging behind Anore.

He turned around and ran towards her.

"Too slow." He said, lifting her into his arms and running towards the tower.

Dahlia jostled in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck so she wouldn't fall. She took the time to examine his face, realizing she hadn't before.

Anore had short, messy orange hair that reminded Dahlia of fire. His eyes were a dull brown, but that might have been due to it being night time. There were scars across his face, three ugly claw marks that spread from his nose diagonally down his left cheek. When she craned her neck, Dahlia could see that the scars spread down his neck, she wasn't sure how far they went as the orange scarf he wore obscured the rest of it.

A war cry grew closer to them as sand exploded nearby, Anore skid to a halt as the sand cleared.

A student was crouched in the crater they had made, a scythe was in their hands and they looked up towards the tower just as another student leapt onto the back of the Wyvern only to be thrown off.

"Lightning!" She shouted, standing up and collapsing her scythe back down to a claymore.

Dahlia recognized the blue hair instantly.

"Heather!" She called, Heather's head turned in her direction.

"Dahlia!" Heather shouted, running towards her, "That Wyvern is too much for us! The tower is about to collapse!"

"What happened." Anore demanded, Heather looked at him with her eyes wide in fear.

"There's no time to explain, someone provoked it and we came running as fast as we could. Come on, we have to go! Lightning is in trouble!"

Dahlia looked at Anore and nodded, he began to run with Heather.

* * *

 _Ringtail Badlands, Tower Ruins_

They reached the tower within minutes, Anore dropped Dahlia to her feet and drew his daggers, scanning the scene.

Dahlia saw they had some long range fighters and even a dust user.

"I have a plan!" She shouted, pointing towards the tower, "Everyone get in!"

A blur of electricity raced past Dahlia and into the tower as other students fled into it.

They came into a round room with a staircase wrapping around the walls leading upwards. There were altars with relics they were to retrieve, some were already missing.

Dahlia walked towards an altar, a strange half carving of a flower sat in the center of the altar. She picked it up and turned it over curiously.

"That's a desert rose." Heather shrugged, "I took the other half with my partner."

"You said you had a plan." One student said.

"Say it quickly!" Another pleaded as the tower shook. The Wyvern wasn't happy his prey had fled inside.

Dahlia tucked the relic into a pouch on her belt and turned to the rag tag team of students.

* * *

"Everyone knows their place?" Dahlia asked, the Wyvern raged outside.

"Ready." Heather confirmed, Sparrow Hawk held tightly in her hands as she stood at the base of the staircase.

"On my mark." Dahlia lifted her hand, "Go!"

The students burst from the tower, shouting war cries and firing their weapons at the Wyvern and creating a ruckus.

That got the Wyvern's attention as it crawled off the tower and to the ground to engage the students in combat.

"Anore!" Dahlia shouted from the tower entrance.

"Got it!" Anore shouted, running around the side of the Wyvern as it was distracted by other students. He leapt onto the Wyvern's back, using his daggers to dig into the Wyvern's hide and keep him on. He was jostled from side to side as he crawled to its head.

The Wyvern reeled back onto its hind legs, throwing Anore off it's back and careening into the tower wall.

His back hit the wall and he grunted as he sunk to the bottom.

"Anore!" Dahlia shouted, running from the tower.

"No! Dahlia wait!" Heather called after her, Dahlia wasn't supposed to go! They had a plan!

Dahlia was halfway to Anore when he got up, panting with ragged breath. He spat out blood and ran towards the Wyvern, he was up its back in a moment, his daggers deep in its spine.

"Dahlia!" He growled, tossing his head in her direction, his eyes were a blazing orange, "Go!"

Dahlia hesitated but ran back to the tower, calling for Heather to run up the stairs.

Heather bolted up the stairs, Dahlia hot on her heels.

They broke into the open air and Dahlia turned to Heather, Heather in turn clicked a button on the hilt of her claymore and the blade expanded into a scythe.

Dahlia reached into her pouch and withdrew dust crystals, the moment the crystals touched her gloves they evaporated into them, a glow spread across the embroidery on her glows that subsided quickly.

Dahlia pulled a glove off and Heather rolled up her sleeve.

"There's not much time, my semblance will only hold for so long." Dahlia explained as Heather pulled the glove onto her arm.

"I can build a dust port when we get back to school." Heather sighed, testing the glove's fit on her, it was a little big and awkward for her to wear.

Dahlia reached over and touched the glove, the glove glowed brightly as she poured almost all her aura into it.

"Lightning! Now!" Dahlia shouted.

On the battlefield, the girl named Lightning shot forth and ducked under the Wyvern's maw, striking upwards with her roulette spear.

The Wyvern threw its head back, Dahlia slammed her one gloved hand onto the ground and ice exploded forth, traveling down the side of the tower.

Anore reached back and drew one of his daggers from the Wyvern's spine, stabbing it into the wall of the tower, ice grew around the dagger and his hand, securing the two of them in place.

"Heather, go." Dahlia weakly said, trying to regain her strength.

Heather leapt off the side of the tower, the glove directed dust into her weapon, she grinned at the unusual feeling of the custom Flamel mixture. She would have to ask Dahlia to put in an order when the got back to the school.

She brought her scythe down on the Wyvern's head, but the moment she locked eyes with its burning red gaze she froze and fell past the Wyvern, her scythe caught on the Wyvern's skin but left little injury.

The Wyvern broke from Anore's dagger in its spine and began to crawl up the tower towards Dahlia.

Dahlia looked at the Wyvern in the eyes before it lunged towards her, mouth wide open. She heard two gun shots and the next thing she saw was the night sky.

"I told Professor Drasil we should have stopped it."

Dahlia looked up, Professor Astrola held her in one arm, a sniper rifle in the other. He placed her on the ground, looking back at the Wyvern as it began to evaporate into the night something had blown a hole in it's head.

Astrola walked towards the edge of the tower, the students below looked up at him in awe.

How and when did he get there?

"Grab your relics and get back to the school." He instructed, raising the rifle to his shoulder and aiming through the scope. He pulled the trigger and waited for a moment, then he was gone in a flash, in his place was the bullet he had just fired. It fell to the ground with a clink.

Heather ran up the stairs and embraced Dahlia tightly, Dahlia felt tears on her shoulder, she quietly hugged Heather back. Too tired to speak.

She saw the sun rise in the distance.

* * *

 _Shade Amphitheater, Night_

"Dahlia Flamel, Heather Hawkins, Lightning Thorne and Anore Sandsea." Professor Drasil announced as the four students walked down the amphitheater stairs and gathered before her.

"The four of you have retrieved the desert rose relic." Drasil motioned towards the now completed carving of the flower, "From now on you will be known as team DHLA, led by, Dahlia Flamel."

* * *

 **Long chapter this time around, to be honest this was one of my favorite combat scenes to write.  
** **Anyways, I'm back on the regular update schedule (hopefully) and will be posting the next chapter on Thursday.  
Like always, reviews are gladly appreciated and constructive criticism is always welcome.  
Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

_-First Year Dorms, sunrise-_

Heather awoke to the soft click of the door, the shuffle of footsteps on the carpeted floor and the smell of coffee and tea. She didn't have to open her eyes to know that it was Lightning who was setting down a cup of strong black coffee on Heather's nightstand.

She heard Lightning shift around the room, placing everyone's respective cups on their nightstands. Spiced apple cider for Dahlia and black tea with a splash of lemonade for Anore. Heather knew Lightning had gotten herself a cup of coffee and was now gathering her clothes to change in their bathroom before the others woke up.

It had been like this for the past month ever since initiation, Lightning didn't talk much, there were whole days where she did not speak a word. It appeared she let her actions speak for her. Coffee and tea in the mornings was her "good morning", a hand on the shoulder was her "good job", occasionally she would bring them sweets she had smuggled out of the cafeteria. Heather loved those days, Lightning always had a smile on her face as they discussed their lives outside of combat and Shade. Well, it was mostly Dahlia and Heather sharing stories of their childhoods in Atlas and Vale. Anore would tell them a story about his travels around Vacuo, but Lightning didn't speak about her past.

The door to the bathroom shut and Heather sat up groggily, she reached over to the cup of coffee and took a lazy sip. The scalding hot liquid burned her tongue, but nevertheless woke her up. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Heather placed the coffee cup on her nightstand and grabbed her brush. She brushed through her midnight blue hair and pulled it back into a ponytail with a yellow ribbon.

Shade Academy didn't have a set uniform, Heather had heard it was because Professor Drasil wanted her students to be prepared to fight in any of their regular clothes. Heather stood up and began to change into her clothes for the day.

She pulled on a black tank top with a navy blue jumpsuit, Heather tied the sleeves around her waist and shoved her feet into a pair of work boots. She had Advanced Weapon Design that morning and Heather was looking forwards to finally getting Sparrow Hawk outfitted with a dust port.

The memory of failing to slay the Wyvern and leaving Dahlia without defense played over and over in her head every time she even looked at Sparrow Hawk.

The door to the bathroom opened just as Heather was taking another sip of her coffee, Lightning stepped out with her nightclothes bundled under her arm. Lightning was definitely from Vacuo, but her face held the sharp features of someone from Atlas. Her skin was a smooth caramel color and at first glance one would have thought her a tall gangly boy if she didn't have long and messy mint blue hair. Her electric blue eyes scanned Heather up and down before they moved across the room and to her bed.

Heather watched her cross the room quietly, the white and blue caplet around her waist flowed with each step. Heather never saw her change into anything but her regular combat clothes, which consisted of a white tank top, white short shorts, knee high mint blue boots and dark gray armor pieces. Of course Lightning took her armor off when she wasn't fighting, though it was never far from her.

Dahlia began to stir as Heather began to make her bed.

"What time is it?" Dahlia asked groggily, taking a sip of her drink.

Heather glanced at the clock on her nightstand.

"Almost six-thirty." She shrugged and Dahlia stood up, gathering her clothes and heading to the bathroom to change.

She came out minutes later, just as Anore was beginning to wake up.

When Dahlia came out, Anore ducked in and Heather heard the shower turn on just like every morning, Heather knew he would be out in five minutes. He always took a cold shower in the morning.

"Did you both sleep well?" Dahlia asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Lightning shrugged, straightening up her share of the room.

She slept alright.

"Really well, hey Lightning." Heather said, Lightning looked at her, "Thanks for bringing us coffee every morning."

Lightning smiled and shrugged. It was no big deal.

"Oh don't be so modest, Lightning. How about we go out to lunch today? My treat." Dahlia offered.

Lightning hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.

"Do you have time, Heather? I know you were planning on upgrading Sparrow Hawk today. I could bring something back for you."

"I'll come with, it shouldn't take too long to make the upgrades." Heather shrugged, a smile on her face.

The door to the bathroom opened and Anore stepped out with a towel on his head.

"And what about you Anore?" Dahlia asked, turning to him.

"Huh?"

"Are you up for going out to lunch today?"

Anore looked away and thought for a moment.

"Couldn't hurt."

"Right, then we'll meet at the CCT around noon!"

* * *

 _-One Week Later, Shade Academy Combat Arena-_

"Storm Cloud!" Dahlia shouted, ducking under the blade of her opponent, she spun herself around and kicked them in the back, sending them sprawling across the floor and out of the arena.

Lightning sped across the arena, her semblance leaving sparks in her wake. She halted just before Dahlia and nodded. They watched as their last opponent raced towards them.

"Now?" Lightning asked, her voice low and gravely.

"Not yet." Dahlia responded, their opponent grew closer.

"Now?"

"A little closer."

Their opponent was almost to them, they hadn't caught on yet.

"Now?" Lightning repeated impatiently.

"Now!" Dahlia nodded, slamming her palm on the ground, a carpet of ice sprung forth. Lightning stabbed Strike into the ice, pulling the trigger on the shaft, a dust bullet struck the ice and exploded.

A chilling mist instantly filled the air as their opponent slowed to a halt, looking around them and trying to pinpoint where Dahlia and Lightning had gone.

Electricity crackled and the mist was beginning to clear.

Lightning could be seen with one arm around Dahlia's waist, and Dahlia had her hand out in the mist, the embroidery on her glove glowing a bright purple.

Their opponents eyes widened and they barely got out a "No Wait!" before electricity surged through the cloud.

The mist cleared and their opponent fell to the ground, their aura depleted. They breathed heavily and began to stand up, and found Lightning's hand extended to them.

"Good fight."

* * *

 _-Two days later, First Year Dormitories, Late Night-_

Anore sat at his desk, pouring over his Grimm Studies homework. He didn't understand why they had to learn about the various types of Grimm, they were simple to kill in concept, just keep hitting it until it dies. Yet Anore also knew that a hunter needed to know what they were going up against.

He scoffed, as if he didn't already know what he would be fighting.

A cool breeze swept through the open window and Anore shivered, the nights in Vacuo's deserts could get well below freezing in a matter of hours. He stood from his desk and walked towards the window, he was about to close it when he caught wind of a conversation.

"-finding yourself comfortable in the dorms?" A voice spoke, it sounded as if it was through the speaker on a scroll.

"Yes, Daniel. Lightning brings us something to drink every morning, its sweet of her, but I wish she would open up more." Dahlia sighed, "We work well in combat and she's got great input for strategies… but."

"Outside of battle its like she's not there?" The other speaker, Daniel, asked. Anore could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yeah… Even Heather hasn't been able to get her to say more than a sentence."

"Maybe she's scared? She's in a new place, it'll take her awhile to warm up to it. Maybe you could both go somewhere and get to know each other?"

"I'll consider it." Dahlia nodded.

"Now tell me about the rest of your team, how's Heather holding up?"

"She's doing… better. I think she still blames herself for initiation."

"Well I can imagine, she almost got you killed."

Anore flinched, it was his fault just as much as Heather, he let the Wyvern slip from his grip.

"I don't blame her."

 _If only you would tell her that_ , Anore bitterly thought, glancing over at Heather's sleeping form. For the first week the poor girl couldn't look any of them in the eye.

He missed what Daniel said next, but the thing that drew Anore back was the mention of his name.

"Anore's… nice."

"Just nice?"

 _Just nice?_

"He.. hasn't really opened up… All I really know is that he travels Vacuo, but outside of that."

"But he's not like Lightning?"

"He talks, just not about himself."

"He'll open up to you little sis, don't loose hope. I was like him with my team."

"Really?"

"I didn't know who to trust, anyone of my teammates could have been an assassin."

"Were they?"

"They became my best friends. Don't worry Dolly, your team will warm up."

"Hey!" Dahlia cried out in protest at the nickname, Anore smiled as Daniel began laughing.

"So… you're safe there at least."

Anore closed the window, he had heard enough of their conversation. He looked back at his desk and sighed, he had a lot of work left to do. Anore turned off the desk light and fell into his bed, it could wait until morning.

* * *

 **Hello hello hello!**  
 **This chapter was probably the easiest to write out of all of them so far, I wanted to cover some of the team dynamic specifically pertaining to how Lightning acts as she was not introduced until the end of the last chapter. Hopefully I've achieved that and paved part of the road to character development in the future. I don't want to put too much character development too early on as this story will have many many many chapters.**  
 **Anyways, I see that people are reading this finally and ask for reviews. Not only do they let me see what you guys enjoy, but they also motivate me to write out the next chapter. And believe me, with the amount of chapters I have planned, I'll need any motivation I can get.**  
 **So that's it for now, I'll see you again next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Anore didn't talk much about himself. In fact, the thought of talking about his past made his heart race, but there was something about Dahlia that made him want to open up to her.

She had done more than enough to earn his trust, so why was he so hesitant about opening up to her?

He looked over at her in their Grimm Studies class while Professor Apri droned on about the Nevermore variants. Dahlia was absorbed in taking careful notes for both herself and Heather. Briefly Anore thought about their sick teammate back in the dorms.

"Sandsea, tell me." Professor Apri's voice broke Anore from his thoughts, "What variations of Nevermore are most common in Mountain Glen?"

Anore swallowed hard, he honestly didn't know the answer to that. Professor Apri watched him from behind her glasses and sighed when he didn't answer.

"Smaller variations of Nevermore are more common in Mountain Glen." Lightning spoke up suddenly, her voice smooth and unwavering.

"Thank you, Thorne." Apri nodded, "And could you tell me what variations are more common to the surrounding area?"

"The traditional black Nevermore." Lightning answered quickly.

"And?"

Lightning paused for a moment.

"Giant Nevermores are occasionally seen, but quickly dispatched by Hunters in order to protect nearby Vale."

Professor Apri nodded.

"Good work, you've been studying hard. Perhaps Sandsea can take your example."

Anore felt heat and anger rise to his face, Dahlia put her hand on his shoulder and he felt himself calm down, this didn't reflect his abilities as a hunter.

"Now the Giant Nevermore is known to have a thicker foliage of feathers and thus is difficult to injure. The feathers are not as thick around the nape of the neck and the throat." Professor Apri pointed to the diagram on her board with the tip of her saber, "A potential strategy a hunter could use is to ground the Nevermore by taking out its wings, specifically targeting these feathers."

She pointed again, Dahlia took down notes.

"Once the Nevermore cannot fly, the hunter could then decapitate the Nevermore." Professor Apri glanced at the clock and sheathed her saber, "Now before class ends Professor Drasil wants me to inform you of the Vytal Festival."

The class suddenly snapped to attention at the mention of the festival, they all knew what it was.

"This year the Vytal Festival will be held in Port Ringtail."

The class erupted in cheers, Port Ringtail was the city near Shade Academy, on a clear day the city could be seen from the Western Shade Cliff. The city was settled in a natural harbor and held a history that was older than Shade Academy, it was said that a hunter overlooked the city on the bluff that Shade was built on and decided to build his school there.

"The festival will be beginning in two months, until then, Professor Drasil has instructed you to prepare for the Vytal Tournament."

The bell rang and students began packing up and leaving, Lightning was almost at the door when Professor Apri called for her.

"Thorne, could we talk for a moment?"

Lightning looked at her team in question, almost asking permission to leave.

"Go on, we'll check on Heather for you." Dahlia nodded, it was just her and Anore now.

Anore wasn't sure what they were talking about, he had left just before they began to speak and he was much more occupied with keeping himself from blurting everything out to Dahlia.

"I almost forgot it was the Vytal festival this year." Dahlia spoke, her eyes looked distant.

"Oh?"

"I wonder if my brother will be coming here."

"Your brother is also a hunter?"

"Yes, he's training at Atlas Academy." Dahlia smiled, Anore knew she missed him.

"Do you miss him?" He asked, knowing the answer to that question.

"Sometimes." She nodded, "What about you? Do you miss your family?"

Anore looked away.

"I don't have a family."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Dahlia reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, he brushed it off.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago."

Dahlia looked at him with concern clearly written across her face, his face was slightly scrunched it, as if he was trying not to remember something. She didn't know what to do.

"I'm going to go check on Heather." She finally said, leaving Anore almost immediately. She felt horrible about it.

Anore watched her go, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He turned and stalked off, trying to pry his thoughts away from the memory of claws raking across his face, the smell of blood that filled all his senses, the sight of bodies in the sand. He shut his eyes and felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

He found Lightning standing next to him, her face a collected calm he could never read.

"Follow me." Lightning led him through the school and out into the gardens Anore had walked through his first day at Shade.

Lightning sat on a rock right before the water fountain and patted the spot next to her, Anore sat down hesitantly.

"Talk."

"What?"

"Talk." Lightning demanded.

"About my family?"

"About what's been distracting you."

Anore sighed, that's what she wanted to talk about.

"Its.. Dahlia."

Lightning watched him with her bright blue eyes that he couldn't read.

"She's… I….. I." Anore felt a lump in his throat, it was hard to speak and form words.

Lightning placed a hand on his back.

Breathe.

"I want to get to know Dahlia and I want her to know me." Anore blurted, "I just can't seem to share anything about myself, it all hurts to remember."

Lightning sat in silence, listening to him as he spoke.

"I lost my family when I was young, we- my family was part of a caravan that was transporting dust across the desert, there was a sandstorm and we should have stayed back. Father insisted we delivered the dust on time, he said that the people who ordered it desperately needed it."

Anore swallowed hard at the memory.

"We were almost there when the Grimm came, a whole pack of Beowolves. They killed our body guards first, then they turned on us. I saw my father killed and then I-" Hot tears streaked down his face, "Then I woke up hours later and everything was gone, our cargo, the Grimm, my family. They found me hours later, almost dead, covered in blood, my father's daggers in my hands."

Lightning said nothing, only rubbed circles in Anore's back.

"I don't remember anything about my past." Lightning said, "I can't relate, I can't remember having a family, I only remember it just being me. But, I can say that I have a family here. With you and Dahlia and Heather."

Anore looked at Lightning, this was the first time he had heard her speak more than a sentence.

"I'm not saying you should forget about your past, that you should tell everything to Dahlia, but you should talk to her about you. About what you like, what you want to do, where you want to go." Lightning instructed, "And if you feel that you are ready, tell her about your past."

Anore wiped away his tears, Lightning got up and offered him her hand.

"We're here for you when you need it."

* * *

 **Bit shorter of a chapter than the previous two, but its acceptable. I'm still on track for the update schedule so I'm not gonna complain.  
** **So the musical I was in ended the past weekend and now all I have to do is study for exams, which honestly I'm horrible when it comes to studying so there should be no changes in the schedule for the next two weeks.  
Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far, if you have any comments or tips for improving my writing please leave a review down below they honestly do more than just give me feedback, they help me feel motivated as a writer to keep moving.  
With that, see you next chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8

"What if we combine Storm Cloud with Blue Desert?"

"I don't know, Storm Cloud seems like a cheap shot, combining it with Blue Desert would be unfair."

"The whole point of the tournament is to showcase our abilities."

"So what should we do? Come up with completely new tactics?"

Team DHLA sat on the floor of their dorm room, discussing plans for the Vytal Festival Tournament, it was still a month and a half away, but Dahlia wanted to be sure they had as much time as possible.

"We could just improvise?" Heather suggested, "We don't know who we'll be going up against anyways."

"But we should at least have a plan." Dahlia countered, "Partners stay with partners?"

"Too predictable." Lightning shook her head, "Lets use our competitors strengths against them."

"I think we should stay somewhat together at least." Anore suggested, "If we get too far apart they might have the upper hand."

"So split up just enough to take advantage?"

"Yes." Lightning nodded.

Dahlia sighed and stretched her arms high above her head, she had definitely grown stronger the past few months, Anore could see the way her muscles moved under the white blouse she wore. He looked away quickly before anyone realized he had been staring.

"Well then, shall we decide on our order?" Dahlia asked, waiting for her team to nod in agreement.

"We'll all be competing in the first match, if we make it to the second match we need two people." Heather explained, "Maybe we send in contrasting styles? Too many long range weapons can put us in a vulnerable position if our opponents are long ranged."

"The same goes for close range." Lightning added.

"How about Dahlia and Lightning then?" Anore suggested, Heather shook her head.

"Dahlia needs to get into close combat to do anything effective, the range of Magis isn't that big. No offense Dahlia."

"None taken."

"Lightning could get her there, but Lightning has a long spear, if she gets caught in close combat."

"Not my strong suit." Lightning nodded.

"Right."

Anore thought hard for a moment.

"What about Heather and I?" He said, all eyes fell on him, "Sparrow Hawk has a dust port now, right?"

"Well yeah I don't see how- oh dust Anore! That's brilliant!"

"What's your idea?" Dahlia asked, curiosity reflected on her face. Anore liked the way her eyes looked so young, so absorbed in what was about to be said.

"We can combine elements of Storm Cloud and Blue Desert to form a completely new and fair strategy!"

"Explain it." Lightning leaned in, interested in the plan.

"Well it goes like this.."

* * *

 **Alrighty, so very short chapter I apologize for that, but one of my biggest most stressful exams is tomorrow (friday) and I have been studying for it like crazy. Next chapter will definitely be longer!  
** **As always, reviews are gladly appreciated. With that I will see you again next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on, Heather!" Dahlia called out behind her as she pushed through the crowd of students, another ship of students had just arrived. She had only caught a glimpse of the school uniforms and instantly knew it was her brother's school.

Heather struggled through the crowd behind Dahlia, they were going to be late for classes.

Breaking into the front of the crowd, Dahlia searched with eager eyes for Daniel's face amongst the newcomers. She spotted him quickly, it appeared he had seen her too, for he began to run towards her. Dahlia leapt into his arms and he caught her, spinning her around.

"Oh, I've missed you, Daniel!" Dahlia cried, holding onto him tightly.

"Haha, you talk to me every week." Daniel smirked, letting her down gently.

"Yeah! But that's over Scroll! This is different!"

"I know, I know." Daniel held her at arms length, "Let me get a look at you now…"

They had both definitely changed, Daniel looked tired and stronger than before, his usual well mannered demeanor had melted away. Dahlia on the other hand had grown much more stronger, her skin had tanned and Daniel could see the faint freckles across her face.

"You've grown." He grinned, patting her on the shoulder and looking back at his team just as Heather burst through the crowd.

"Oh! Daniel, this is Heather! Heather, this is Daniel. My half-brother." Dahlia quickly introduced, Heather shook Daniel's hand, still catching her breath.

"Dahlia's told me about you." Daniel nodded his head.

"R-really now?" Heather hesitantly answered, letting her hand fall back to her side.

"Of course, she's told me all about her teammates."

"Oh…" Heather gave a sigh of relief.

"You two should head to class, I'll catch up with you later." Daniel said, turning back towards his team and beginning to leave, but not before he ruffled Dahlia's hair, "Later, sis."

"Ugh! Daniel!" Dahlia groaned, quickly trying to fix her hair as she and Heather made their way towards their class.

* * *

"What took you two so long?" Anore asked in a low whisper as Professor Apri droned on about Grimm.

"Family matters." Dahlia responded, quickly pulling out her note book and taking notes on that days lesson.

"Now, Professor Astrola would like me to remind you that over the next few days we will have the other academies arriving." Professor Apri informed as she paced across the room, "We expect you to be on your best behaviors and to represent Shade in the best light you can manage. As I was saying, Deathstalkers are notorious for their thick chitin armor plating-"

* * *

Professor Apri's class whipped by quickly and Dahlia was guiding her team towards a rendezvous point with her brother.

"You guys are going to love him! He's bringing his team too so it wont be just us." Dahlia chirped, a noticeable spring in her step. Anore couldn't help but smile slightly at her chipper mood. Lightning seemed to notice this and nudged Anore in the shoulder, a small smirk on her face. Anore felt heat rise to his cheeks, Lightning knew.

"There he is! Daniel!" Dahlia called, stopping suddenly and waving her arms in the air.

"I see you, Dahlia." Daniel grinned, his team following him at a comfortable distance. They met each other halfway.

"Okay, this is Archer" Daniel began, motioning to a boy with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. Archer nodded with a quiet smile.

"Rusty."

A boy with red-brown hair and eyes smiled politely and waved, he was a giant compared to Daniel, towering more than a foot over him.

"And Kyanite."

Kyanite was a boy with electric blue hair and deep blue eyes, he smirked.

"I see you've got my scroll." Kyanite nodded at Dahlia, who reached down and brushed her fingers against said device.

"You made this?"

"Of course, it wasn't that difficult to do." Kyanite shrugged.

"Yet you lost sleep over making it work just right." Archer jabbed.

"Man! I couldn't have it malfunctioning!" Kyanite whined and Archer chuckled.

"Anyways, so who's the rest of your team?"

Dahlia introduced her team quickly, a beaming smile on her face the whole time.

* * *

 **Hey readers! Sorry I haven't been updated like I said I would. I have been very. Very. Busy the past few weeks with the first round of exams and many many concerts and gigs I was needed at, also an audition! The end of the school year is approaching for me, so I've been studying like crazy for my finals, hopefully after that I should be back to updating regularly. I'll be posting two chapters today to try and close some distance between updates.**  
 **Thank you for your understanding.**  
 **On the topic of reviews, please please please review, not only does it let me know what you guys think, but it helps me feel motivated as a writer to actually put this out here and continue writing it.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you have your dress ready?"

"Can you believe those two are going together?"

"Isn't he a fourth year?"

"Did you get a date for the dance yet?"

This was all Anore heard as he walked through the more crowded halls of Shade Academy, increasingly growing more and more nervous as the days passed. There was going to be a dance soon, a celebration to kick off the first year's first missions. All around Anore, people were making plans to go as groups or as duos, he had heard of even a trio all going to the dance together.

Dahlia had already informed the rest of them that they would all be going as a team.

 _"It'll be fun." She said, "We've been so focused on training lately."_

Anore's heart tightened at the thought, he wasn't one for dances. Actually, he had never been to one. He had heard of them, but had never been to one, much less actually invited.

"When are you planning on asking her?"

Anore jumped and turned his head, Lightning stood right behind him, her face blank but her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"W-what?"

"Dahlia."

"What about Dahlia?"

"Weren't you going to ask her out?" Lightning asked.

"No!" Anore quickly blurted out, "I mean-! Yeah, but-! She- Someone's probably already asked her and I wouldn't want to make it-"

"Ask her." Lightning stated simply, beginning to walk away.

* * *

Anore fidgeted in his spot as he watched the seconds tick by, he glanced at Dahlia who had her eyes trained on her notes. Past Dahlia was Lightning, who stared at him with a deadpan expression, almost urging him to ask his question right then and there.

Anore looked away, now wasn't the time.

* * *

Lightning had been watching him ever since they returned to the dorm room, now was a better time than any.

"Heather, lets walk." Lightning stated simply, standing up and heading towards the door. Heather jumped up from her desk and followed Lightning out the door with a bright smile and a spring in her step.

The door had barely closed before Dahlia spoke up, not even glancing away from her homework.

"I think you should ask Lightning to the dance."

"O-oh? Really?" Anore fidgeted on the edge of his bed, keeping his eyes glued to the page in his text book.

"Of course, she practically can't keep her eyes off you." Dahlia shrugged.

"Well, what about you then? Has anyone asked you to the dance yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure someone is about to ask me." Dahlia sighed, turning in her chair towards Anore, a wistful smile on her face.

"I'm surprised, I thought… well.." Anore scratched the back of his head, "That you would have been asked the day it was announced.."

Dahlia burst into laughter.

"I'm not that popular, Anore." She grinned, turning back to her homework, "Well, what ever happens, I hope you and Lightning enjoy yourselves."

Anore found himself unable to speak any further.

* * *

"Did you ask?" Lightning whispered to him the next morning as they trailed behind Dahlia and Heather, whom were both talking about their dresses rather excitedly. It was only one day away from the dance.

"No.." Anore sighed, his shoulder's drooping.

"Why not?"

"She thinks I'm going to ask you.." Anore whispered.

"Oh… I thought she would know by now." Lightning sighed, disappointed.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm not into people like that." Lightning shrugged.

"I see…"

"Dahlia." Lightning spoke up suddenly and Dahlia halted her conversation.

"Yes Lightning?"

"Anore has something to ask you." Lightning stated, taking Heather by the wrist and guiding her down the hall, away from them.

Dahlia turned to Anore and he suddenly felt lightheaded.

"What are you-"

"Do you-"

They both stopped speaking and looked at each other with wide eyes.

"You first-" They both spoke at the same time. Anore looked away, heat rising to his face.

"Never mind." Anore sighed, brushing past her.

Dahlia watched him go, wondering what was going on with Anore.

* * *

Anore stood to the side, a cup of punch in his hand. He watched as the other students danced with each other and sighed, he hadn't asked Dahlia and now she was probably with someone else. Though he hand't seen her yet either.

Anore knew he shouldn't think negatively about it, Dahlia's choices were her own.

"Didn't ask her, did you?" Lightning's voice came from his side, Anore turned his head and noted the neatly pressed tux she wore.

"I can't." Anore sighed, taking a sip of punch. He could see Heather in her short yellow dress talking to some students, probably about weapons.

"Can't or wont?"

"I don't know, I just can't form words around her." Anore explained, looking away.

"You wanted to dance with her, right?" Lightning asked, adjusting her mint blue tie.

"Yeah, but-"

"What do you say, Dahlia?"

Anore froze, almost afraid to turn around and face his team leader.

"I say that's lovely, I would love to." Dahlia's voice was smooth as silk, Anore turned and was taken aback. She wore a red floor length ball gown that looked as if it was fire at some places, her hair was allowed to hang around her shoulders in loose waves.

"Y-you would?"

"I would have liked if you had asked me sooner." Dahlia noted, "But yes. Shall we?"

She offered him a red gloved hand, to which he took gently and guided towards the dance floor.

"I don't really know how to dance.." Anore mentioned as they walked away from Lightning.

Lightning watched them go and turned to look out the window, the moon was full that night. With a tired smile on her face she tucked her hands into her pants pockets and left the ballroom, it was a nice night out after all.

* * *

 **And we're getting a little more caught up, hopefully sometime this upcoming week I'll have the other two updates I missed up.**  
 **Like I've stated before, reviews are extremely helpful so consider leaving one down below.**  
 **Till next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

The first years of each hunters academy gathered in the amphitheater eagerly awaiting their first mission assignments. They had all been training for these missions since the day they stepped foot on their school's campus.

Team DHLA sat near the center of the Shade Academy students, all dressed and ready for their first mission. Professor Drasil walked down the amphitheater steps, Professor Astrola oddly no where in sight, in his place were the other headmasters of the other academies.

"May I have your attention, please." Professor Drasil inquired, her voice echoing across the amphitheater.

"Thank you. You have all been training hard, for both your classes and the Vytal Festival." Drasil spoke, "Now it is time to prove yourselves once again and complete your first missions as a team. I need not remind you that you will be not only representing yourselves as hunters, but your schools as well."

Dahlia felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety rise up inside her.

"Each team will take a mission and be assigned a hunter as their watcher, their job will be to observe, not fight your battles for you. Hunt well."

Professor Drasil turned and left the amphitheater, Dahlia turned to her team just as they were standing up.

"Mission?" Lightning questioned, motioning to the mission boards set up at the heart of the amphitheater.

"Of course." Dahlia nodded her head, making her way with her team towards a mission board, "What do you guys want to do?"

"This one takes us to Forever Fall!" Heather pointed out.

"There's always wall duty." Anore shrugged, he wanted to stay close to Vacuo, just incase anything happened.

"What do you think Lightning?" Dahlia turned to Lightning, who in turn looked through the missions. She pointed out a mission.

"A survey of Lapis Bay?" Dahlia read the mission aloud, "We'll be checking in on the wild Grimm population. What do you guys think?"

"Actually, team DHLA has a special assignment with me."

DHLA turned, surprised to find Professor Astrola standing there, arms crossed.

"At request of Professor Drasil."

A request from Professor Drasil? Did they do something wrong?

"Don't worry, its not punishment." Professor Astrola shrugged, the sniper rifle on his back catching in the sunlight. He pulled out a scroll and tapped the screen a few times, a ding sounded and the screen flashed green for a moment.

"Well, what are you standing there for? The ship is waiting for us."

"Um, sir? What exactly will we be doing?" Heather asked sheepishly, since day one she seemed to be afraid of the Professor.

"I'll brief you on the ship, come along now." With that he turned and led them up the amphitheater steps and towards the air ships. Team DHLA exchanged looks with each other, a mission with Professor Astrola, not to mention a special mission at Professor Drasil's request?

"While we're on the mission, you will address me as Sir. My orders are to observe, I will not be fighting your battles unless absolutely necessary." Astrola spoke as they made way for a waiting air ship, he turned to them, "Does everyone have what they need? We will not be returning until the mission is complete."

Dahlia looked herself over, she had more than enough dust on her to last her the mission, even an extra pair of gloves incase a Grimm tore the ones she wore apart. There was a new addition to her weapons however, a wrist mounted spring dart. Heather had made it for her and given it to her just as they were making their way to the amphitheater. It appeared Heather had made each of her teammates something in honor of their first mission together. Anore had been given new blades for Survive and Thrive, Lightning was given a speed loader for Strike's roulette wheel.

Just as Dahlia looked up from herself, a gray winter jacket was shoved into her arms. She looked up at Professor Astrola in confusion.

"Trust me, you'll need it."

He had given each of her teammates a similar jacket, some came with a pair of gloves.

"Everyone ready?"

A nod or sound of approval reached Professor Astrola and he motioned them onto the ship.

"Off we go."

* * *

They were high up in the air and Shade was just becoming a dot on the horizon when Professor Astrola spoke.

"We'll be going to the Fenrir Mountains in search of a supply shipment that vanished last week!" He shouted over the screaming winds, "Of course, we can't fly into the mountains, so we'll be dropped off near a pass! We'll hike in, find the shipment and carry as much of it as we can out! Do not wander off!"

"Yes sir!" Dahlia affirmed, looking at each of her teammates. Anore stared wide eyed out the open airship doors, he had never been this far from Vacuo before. Heather watched Professor Astrola nervously, fidgeting and keeping a hand on Sparrow Hawke at her waist. A reassuring hand on her shoulder from Dahlia earned a soft smile.

Lightning was the one who had gone silent, more so than usual. Her eyes glazed over, her face a veneer of calm.

In her mind, she knew she had been there before.

* * *

 **ohhhhhhh foreshadowingggggg. Okay. Time to be serious. So, I realized that as of this chapter we are about halfway through the first arc, or first year. At this point, we're going to start getting into the main over arcing plot of the fic, which I am very excited to write and very excited for you guys to read.**  
 **Like always, reviews are gladly appreciated.**  
 **Also this is a double update in an attempt to catch up with all the updates I've missed. We're almost on track guys, just a few more chapters to go until we're back!**


	12. Chapter 12

Dahlia groaned as she held herself and Heather on the icy cliff side, thankful that the spring dart was holding them up from a frozen demise. She risked a look down at Heather in her other arm, the girl wasn't moving, her eyes were closed and a nasty gash on her face was spilling thick blood out. Beyond Heather was a thick cloud of frozen mists and snow, it made her dizzy looking at it. Looking back up, Dahlia tried to pull them both up, hoping that the rest of her team was alright.

How did this happen?

* * *

 _-Earlier that day-_

The airship dropped them off on a pass leading into the mountain range, Loki's Pass, Professor Astrola had called it. The Professor pulled out his scroll and flicked through the screens until he came to a map of the mountain range, he highlighted their location and showed it to his students.

"We'll be taking Loki's Pass into the mountains, from there we'll head to the last known location of the supply ship." Professor Astrola instructed, digging into his jacket and withdrawing several flares, "Everyone take two, if we're separated you'll need these to find each other."

Heather looked at the flares in her hands and gulped, this wasn't what she had hoped for in becoming a huntress.

"But, I have faith you will all turn out fine. Let's get moving now, we're burning day light. Flamel, if you would kindly lead."

"Yes sir." Dahlia nodded her head, placing her flares in her belt pocket and making way towards the pass.

Lightning pulled her attention from the vast snowy forest behind them and followed reluctantly.

* * *

The pass was narrow at some places, and wide at others, traveling it took more time than Dahlia would have liked. She could feel Professor Astrola's gaze drilling into the back of her skull every second. She clenched her fingers, it got colder and colder the deeper they went into the pass, Dahlia couldn't imagine what Anore was going through. Looking at her team she felt a sense of pride swell inside her, and also concern. Anore hadn't stopped shivering since they landed, he was lagging behind slightly.

"Anore, you okay?" Dahlia asked, he looked up from the snowy ground.

"Fine." He breathed, "Just not use to the cold."

"Should we make a camp?" Dahlia asked, extending the question to the rest of her team. Professor Astrola just watched.

"We've still got some daylight left." Heather shrugged, "Plus I don't see any places we could set up in."

Lightning looked as if she was about to speak, but looked up suddenly and leapt backwards, drawing out Strike as a black mass landed in the spot she had been standing in moments before.

Strike shot forth, impaling the black mass before it could move. Lightning withdrew her spear with a frown on her face as she kicked the now fading body over.

"Grimm."

"There's bound to be more." Anore shivered, crossing his arms to stay warm.

"We need to keep moving then." Dahlia sighed, turning back around, her senses on high alert.

* * *

They kept moving, albeit slower now as they kept an eye out for Grimm.

The whole time Professor Astrola was silent, almost as if he wasn't there. They were on a steep mountain now, the path they were on seemed to go on forever. Lightning was beginning to find it odd that she hadn't seen another Grimm since the one they had run into, which had been a little over an hour ago. Looking to her right, Lightning had a clear view of the valley far below them, it was like a sea of icy fog, no doubt there was a lake below that fog.

A vision pulsed through her head, the feeling of fear gripped her suddenly, her vision clouded to white like the fog below. Lightning screwed her eyes shut and put a hand to her head, it hurt.

"Lightning?" Heather asked, Lightning opened her eyes.

"Fine." She lied, casting her electric blue eyes to the ground. What was that?

A rumble in the cliffside caused the group to stop once more.

Another rumble prompted weapons to be drawn.

The rumbles stopped and the group waited for what seemed like hours, but was only a few seconds. Heather lowered Sparrow Hawke and looked at her teammates in confusion, the ground exploded beneath them, throwing them off the side of the cliff.

* * *

"Heather!" Dahlia called out, catching the unconscious girl as they fell towards the fog. She shot her arm out, the spring dart bolting forth and imbedding itself into the icy wall. The thick wire hooked to the dart pulled taught and Dahlia crashed against the wall moments later. The breath knocked out of her, Dahlia kept her grip around Heather's waist tight.

She looked around her, unable to see anyone else on the cliff face. Looking down at Heather she saw the red blood pouring down her face and took in a sharp breath, she needed help, _badly_. Dahlia looked around her again, this time for a way out.

There was what appeared to be an opening to a mineshaft nearby, if she could just reach it. Dahlia calmed her breathing, her eyes sliding closed as she focused aura into her glove, she could imagine the ice dust spreading across the cliff face, jutting out to a set of stairs that led to the mineshaft opening.

Dahlia opened her eyes and took a deep breath, she shook slightly, having used a lot of her aura in one go. Looking to her side towards the mineshaft, Dahlia sighed at the sight of a thin, narrow ledge that just barely reached the mineshaft. She couldn't use that!

Sighing, Dahlia pressed her feet against the wall and kicked off hard, recalling the spring dart as she did. And she and Heather were falling again, the dart had barely returned to its home when Dahlia sent it out again, this time aiming for the mineshaft opening. The dart caught on the wall just inside the opening, the wire pulled taught across the ledge that overlooked the opening and Dahlia went careening towards the wall again. She held her legs out, landing on her feet and bending her knees into the impact. Ice shattered around her landing and Dahlia kicked off again, this time hanging loose in the air.

Why didn't she do this sooner?

Slowly, Dahlia pulled the two of them up the wire and to the ledge. The moment both Dahlia and Heather were on the ledge, Dahlia let out an exhausted sigh and laid there for a minute, regaining her energy. Looking towards Heather, Dahlia sat herself up and dragged her into the mineshaft.

She sat Heather against the wall and moved her bangs away, a nasty gash stared back at Dahlia, sending a shiver down her spine. Dahlia searched through her bag, she knew she had bandages in there somewhere.

With Heather all bandaged up, Dahlia began to take inventory of what she had. She found half her dust supply had shattered upon impact, bitterly she picked out what shards of dust she could use.

"It's not looking good, Heather." Dahlia said to her unconscious teammate, "If we don't find the others soon…"

Dahlia's hand shot down to her scroll.

"Wait! I can try to contact them on my scroll!" Dahlia pulled out her scroll, only to find it had cracked upon impact, "Okay, no scroll. What now?"

Dahlia looked over at Heather, Sparrow Hawke hung loose at her belt. It didn't look like she was going to wake up soon. They needed help, they needed to find Professor Astrola.

Picking herself up, Dahlia looped an arm around Heather, moved Heather's arm around her shoulders and held her up. She looked into the mineshaft, it was dark, but their only way out. Dahlia reached over with her free hand and drew Sparrow Hawke.

"Well… I hope the others made it out okay."

* * *

 **I can't tell you guys how much I have been waiting to write that falling sequence, and this is only for one character. Next chapter will definitely be longer as more and more things begin to unfold and happen! I am very very excited!  
** **And here's the end of today's double update, by Thursday I'll hopefully have another double update for you guys and then we'll be back on schedule.  
** **So here's a quick question, do you as readers prefer the double updates or regular one chapter updates every tuesday and thursday? Since summer is coming up I'll have more time to spend writing and would like to see what I should aim to challenge myself to do.  
** **As always, reviews are gladly appreciated!  
** **With that, I'll see you guys next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

Professor Astrola had his rifle out just as the ground beneath him erupted in a cloud of rock, snow and ice. He reached out for the closest student, wrapping his arm around their waist and aiming his rifle at the forest on the other side of the valley. He squeezed the trigger and waited for the bullet to travel as far as he needed it to, he felt everything slow down for just a moment, then rapidly speed up. The bitter wind cut through him and Astrola felt his breath stollen for just a moment before he was preparing himself for landing in the frozen forest.

He pulled the student against him and rolled over with his back to the ground, focusing aura to safe guarding himself.

The Professor crashed into the ground, the snow obscured his vision for a moment, but he felt the familiar feeling of his aura being completely depleted. Laying stunned for a second, he released the student to his side and forced himself up, reaching for his sniper rifle he peered through the scope and scanned the mountain side. He could see Dahlia and Heather hanging by a wire, Heather wasn't looking too good. A frown settled on the Professor's face as he could not find the other student, he really hoped that they were alive.

A groan behind him forced him to look away and check on the student he had managed to take with him.

"Nothing broken, Sandsea?" he asked.

Anore looked up at him with wide eyes, finding himself uninjured.

"How did we-?"

"It's my semblance." Astrola explained, "I can trade places with any object, but that's not important, we'll need to regroup. Here, have a look."

He held his rifle out to Anore, who took it hesitantly. Surprisingly the weapon was much lighter than he expected.

Anore peered through the scope, finding Dahlia pulling herself over a ledge, relief washing over him. He searched the rest of the mountain face, unable to find Lightning.

"Ms. Thorn is a competent fighter, she wouldn't let something like that kill her." Professor Astrola shrugged, taking his rifle back from Anore.

Anore stood, a shiver coursing through him, he really hated the cold.

"We should find someplace to camp, it's getting dark." He breathed, searching the forest around them for a shelter.

Professor Astrola stood up, slowly, trying to conserve what little energy he had left. He leaned on his rifle for support.

"Try to keep your emotions in check, we're in no condition to fight."

Anore simply nodded and began to walk, night was closing in quickly.

* * *

Lightning found herself awaking from a daze when she noticed she was falling, her reflexes acted for her, reaching for Strike instantly. Lightning turned herself over in mid air, striking into the cliff wall with her spear. The spear tore through the wall before catching on the stone, abruptly ending her fall. Lightning felt her arm tear out of its socket and stifled a scream of pain as she held on for dear life.

She looked around her, unable to see anything, her feet dangled just above the dense fog.

Lightning wriggled, the shaft of Strike wobbled in the wall and a jolt of pain shot through Lightning's arm, eliciting another stifled cry. Lightning switched to her left arm, her right falling dead at her side. She bounced again, dislodging Strike from the wall and plummeting into the fog below.

It was a short fall, ten- maybe twelve- feet at the most. Lightning sloppily rolled into her landing and stood up slowly, reaching over and grasping at her shoulder as she did so. A dull pain shot through her.

Definitely dislocated.

With a huff, Lightning stuck her spear into the ground and undid her belt, looping it around her neck and under her forearm. She would have to reset the shoulder later, night was approaching and she had to find shelter before the temperature dropped.

Grasping Strike, Lightning began her long trek through the thick fog.

* * *

Anore looked up from the fire Professor Astrola had built, another shiver coursed through him and he pulled his jacket closer around him. The combat instructor sat against the cave wall on the other side of the fire, his rifle on his lap and his eyes closed. How could he sleep when it was so cold?

Anore couldn't' wrap his head around anything, he had seen the Professor's semblance once and now he had experienced it, although he couldn't quite remember it clearly. He was more confused on the semblance in the first place, trading places with an object? It made sense with his weapon of choice being a sniper rifle, but how far did he had to spirt himself? How far did he have to spirt the both of them?

Enough to deplete his aura. Yet the man still stood and led them for another hour to the small cave they now took refuge in. A storm howled outside, Anore silently prayed that Dahlia and Heather were alright. Another violent shiver wracked through him, his body felt frozen to the core.

"Use some of your aura to keep warm." Professor Astrola's voice suddenly filled the cavern.

Anore looked up at him, confused. Use aura to?

"Concentrate."

Anore's eyes slipped closed, he concentrated on his aura.

"Think of something that's warm. Let it influence your aura."

Anore did as he was told, feeling feeling return to his fingers and toes. He thought of the hot days he spent in the desert, the warmth of the sun beating on his back, the warmth of Dahlia's hand on his shoulde-

His eyes shot open and heat rushed to his face, he was in the middle of a mission for dusts sake! Yet, Anore was warm. Or at least, warmer than he had been moments ago.

He looked up at Professor Astrola who was rifling through his jacket pockets, pulling out small packets of various items. Anore focused on a few of them, medical dust, matches, bullets, scraps of cloth.

"Here. Eat." A bag of dried fruit was tossed over the fire at him, Anore caught it quickly and carefully tore into the bag.

"Professor Astrola?" Anore asked, a dried apple slice in his hands.

"Yes, Sandsea?"

"How do you know so much about aura?" The question came out of his mouth before Anore could stop himself.

Professor Astrola was silent for a long time, eventually he sighed.

"I've been studying aura for years, long enough to know what else it can be used for."

This brought up more questions than answers, what made him study aura? When did he realize the other potentials of aura? What else could aura do?

"Granted, there is still a lot about aura that even I don't know." Professor Astrola shrugged, "Anyways, get some rest, Sandsea, we'll need all our energy tomorrow."

* * *

The wind howled around Lightning as she pushed herself through the storm, it had only gotten worse the deeper into the valley she went, yet oddly she kept herself pushing forwards. It felt as if she had been here before, once a very long time ago. It almost seemed like a dream.

Lightning knew it wasn't a dream, she had felt someone familiar just before the pass exploded and sent her off the cliff. Something wasn't right here, and she was ready to find out what.

To her left, Lightning heard the low growl of a beowolf, she was being followed, but they dared not attack her just yet. They were going to wait until she was too weak to fight back. Lightning's grip around Strike tightened, she wasn't about to give them that satisfaction.

Peering through the thick sheet of white fog and snow, Lightning could barely make out the dark mass ahead of her. Was that what she had been drawn to?

She picked up her pace, remaining vigilant about the Grimm surrounding her. Oddly, as the black mass grew closer, the Beowolf fell away.

Lightning kept herself moving until the mass was in her sights. It was a building of sorts, or, what remained of a building. In it's prime it would have been a massive complex. Now it was crumbling ruins, looking more as if it had been caught in an explosion the closer Lightning got to it.

She felt a memory rush her and doubled over in pain, she had been here before, the building was so large so dark so terrifying. How old had she been when she first came here? Did she even have a life before this place?

Lightning felt her conscious begin to slip from her, just before her vision faded to black she could see a pair of boots walk towards her. Lightning looked up, whoever stood before her was too blurry to see, and then darkness consumed her.

* * *

Dahlia nearly started crying tears of joy when Heather finally stirred and awoke, she set her teammate down against a wall, carefully making sure she wouldn't be injured further.

"Dahlia?" Heather rubbed her eyes, looking around them warily, "What happened? Where are we?"

"You don't remember?" Dahlia asked, kneeling down, concern etched across her features.

"Not really…"

"Something under the ice exploded, we all got separated, I was able to grab you but…."

Heather's eyes were wide.

"Lightning?"

"I don't know what happened to her. Same with the Professor and Anore." Dahlia shook her head, unable to meet Heather's gaze.

"So its just the two of us?"

"At the moment, yes."

Heather looked around them, carefully analyzing the environment they were in.

"I take we're in some kind of mine shaft."

Dahlia nodded, standing up and offering her hand to Heather. Heather took it firmly and Dahlia pulled her to her feet, returning Sparrow Hawk to her.

They moved in silence, stopping every so often to determine a new path. Sometimes they had to turn back as the tunnel they had been following had collapsed. It seemed like they had been going in circles for hours.

"We'll never find the others at this rate!" Heather snapped, they had come to yet another dead end.

Dhalia reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We need to stay calm."

"I know we need to stay calm!" Heather whipped around, throwing Dahlia's hand off her shoulder, "But we're walking in circles here!"

"Heather." Dahlia calmly said, "We can't give up, what would Lightning do- did you feel that?"

Dahlia turned her head sharply, she could have sworn she felt something brush against her. Heather looked in the direction Dahlia looked, confusion and anger on her face.

Dahlia lifted her hand, a small flame forming in the palm as her glove glowed a soft gold. The flame flickered and slanted, just slightly.

"There's an opening nearby!" Dahlia began to walk down the new path, making sure Heather was behind her at every step.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner!" Dahlia mentally slapped herself, she could feel the wind now, the flame in her hand going out as she lowered her arm back to her side.

After what seemed like hours, the two finally caught sight of the opening, only to be met with a fierce storm.

"Well, we found a way out." Dahlia nodded proudly, "We should make camp here, rest while we can."

Heather nodded, looking at their only exit with hopeful eyes.

"We should probably get a fire going." Heather mentioned, placing a hand on a frozen wooden beam, the tunnel wouldn't need this any more. She raised Sparrow Hawk with both hands, holding it like a bat she swung hard into the beam, cutting it in half.

Winded, Heather leaned against the wall as Dahlia gathered the wood and built them a small fire.

It seemed they would survive this just yet.

* * *

 **Sorry for not updating sooner, I've been enjoying my summer (catching up on sleep) and working through a writers block as well as looking into colleges to apply for next year. I honestly will try to update more, but I've lost a lot of steam with everything that's been going on, so I don't know when the next chapter will be. At this point the update schedule has gone out the window.**  
 **Anyways, reviews are always helpful and I'll see you next time.**


	14. Chapter 14

Lightning awoke with a pounding headache and the remains of a fire next to her. She bolted up quickly, finding Strike laid on the ground next to her. Lightning was alone as far as she could tell, and laying in the wreckage of the cargo ship she had been looking for. How she had gotten there was beyond her, but the storm from the night before had died out, leaving her to wonder what had happened at the ruined building.

Standing up, Lightning checked herself over for other injuries. Oddly, it seemed her shoulder had been reset, though she couldn't remember if she had done it herself. Her arm still hung in her makeshift sling, a little aura every so often would be getting it feeling like new in no time. With a sigh, Lightning looked over the wreckage, packages were strewn about, some burn to a crisp and others broken open. There were few that remained closed and untouched.

With nothing better to do, she surveyed the area around her. There was forest almost completely surrounding her, save for a massive mountain face just in front of her. The ship must have crashed into it during a storm.

"Lightning!"

Lightning whipped around, Dahlia and Heather were just coming out of a small tunnel in the side of the mountain. They were running towards her, but slowed to a halt a few feet away, conscious of her injuries.

"I'm so happy to see you survived, Lightning." Dahlia breathed, a bright smile on her face.

Lightning stared at her teammates, they both looked worse for wear, especially Heather. She stepped forwards, a hand brushing against the bandage tied around Heather's head, concern etched across her face.

"I'll be fine." Heather smiled half heartedly.

Lightning nodded, of course she'd be fine.

"This looks like what we came here for." Dahlia spoke, observing the wreckage around them, "So we have two choices, one is that we wait here for the others, two is we go looking for them."

"That wont be necessary Flamel."

The girls whipped around, coming from the tree line were both Anore and Professor Astrola, both of them looked unscathed, if not a little tired.

"Anore!" Dahlia exclaimed, rushing forwards and giving him a brief hug before holding him at arms length, "Are you alright?"

"A little tired, a little cold, hungry, but nothing too bad."

"Well, now that we're all together again." Professor Astrola interrupted, "We should continue our task, we were sent here to retrieve as much of the shipment as we could. And seeing as two of us are injured…"

Professor Astrola picked up a crate, handing it to Dahlia.

"We'll carry as much as we can between the three of us. Get moving, we're burning daylight."

* * *

 **Short chapter that could have been in the last one, but didn't fit. Anyways, like always, reviews are gladly appreciated.**  
 **Until next time.**


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